Hongdae Korean BBQ on a day off, draft beer and steamed egg: Gogikkun

Where is Gogikkun Gim Chunbae Hongdae Main Branch?

Gogikkun Gim Chunbae Hongdae Main Branch (고기꾼김춘배 홍대본점) is a Korean BBQ restaurant on the 3rd floor at 36 Hongik-ro 3-gil, right on Hongdae's main club street. On my day off, I wanted some really good meat in Hongdae with a friend. It's easy to get to and well known as a Hongdae BBQ place, so I'd wanted to try it for a while, and I finally made it, haha.

It's been running for over 10 years and is clearly still loved: when we visited there were plenty of diners and the mood was lively. It seemed great for get-togethers with friends, dates or company dinners too.

What makes chilled-aged meat different?

They say all the meat here is chilled-aged, which makes it especially fresh. Since juiciness and flavor matter so much with aged meat, I was looking forward to it.

Opening hours by floor

• Address: 36 Hongik-ro 3-gil, 3rd floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• 3rd floor: daily 12:00-23:00 (last order 22:00)
• 4th floor: 12:00-22:30 (last order 21:30)

The restaurant is spacious and the tables are nicely spaced out, so we could eat comfortably.

What's in the Hanwoo & Handon 2-Person Set, and how much is it?

The hanwoo (Korean beef)/hanton (Korean pork) 2-person set is pork belly 150g, fresh galbi-sal (rib meat) 250g and today's hanwoo 200g, 600g in total, for ₩118,000 with the discount applied. This is what we ordered, and you get to try several cuts at once.

• Pork belly 150g
• Fresh galbi-sal 250g
• Today's hanwoo 200g
• 600g total / ₩118,000 with discount

Sides and drinks: draft beer, steamed egg and more

On top of the set, we ordered a generous spread: half-and-half naengmyeon (water naengmyeon + spicy bibim naengmyeon), kkakttukbap (diced-radish-kimchi fried rice), Asahi draft beer, Coke Zero and steamed egg.

A good variety of side dishes came out too.

Does the half-and-half naengmyeon go well with Korean BBQ?

The half-and-half naengmyeon lets you taste both water and spicy cold noodles at once, so it was easy to eat to your own taste. We had it after eating a fair amount of meat.

The water naengmyeon's cold, clean broth went really well with the meat and felt like it refreshed my mouth. The bibim naengmyeon was sweet-sour with a moderate kick, and eating it with the meat brought out even more savoriness.

Swapping between the three kinds of meat, each had its own charm, so we never got tired of it. Since you can enjoy hanwoo and hanton in one set, I'd recommend the set to first-time visitors.

How did the charcoal-grilled pork belly and hanwoo taste?

The first thing I noticed when the aged meat arrived was its vivid color. Maybe because it's chilled-aged, the grain of the meat looked good and fresh. It looked delicious just sitting there.

I started with the pork belly on the charcoal, and the subtle charcoal aroma soaked in and brought out the meat's flavor even more. The fat rendered just right, so the outside was golden and the inside moist. I was satisfied from the first bite.

The hanwoo was, as expected, really juicy. It was tender in the mouth with a rich beefy flavor, and even just dipped lightly in salt it was plenty good. Good meat doesn't need a lot of seasoning.

The pork belly was crisp outside, soft and juicy inside. The more I chewed, the more nutty flavor came through, and maybe because it's aged, there was no gamey smell at all and it tasted clean.

The remaining meat had nice moderate marbling and a rich flavor, and it stayed tender without long grilling, so I enjoyed it a lot.

Finishing with kkakttukbap (radish kimchi fried rice)

Kkakttukbap (diced-radish-kimchi fried rice) was a great way to finish the meat. It was nutty and savory, and kept me full right to the end.

Is Gogikkun Gim Chunbae in Hongdae worth visiting with a friend?

If you want proper pork belly or beef in Hongdae, I think Gogikkun Gim Chunbae Hongdae Main Branch is a place that will satisfy you. The chilled-aged meat is especially fresh and flavorful, and grilling it over charcoal made it even better.

The hanwoo-hanton set, with many cuts at once, was satisfying, and adding naengmyeon and kkakttukbap made it a really filling meal. It was a perfect spot for a relaxed day off with a friend over good meat. If you're looking for a pork belly place, an aged-meat place, a company dinner spot or a date spot in Hongdae, I recommend giving it a visit.